JP2018022408A - Information processing apparatus, method for controlling information processing apparatus, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mechanism that can display, in a selectable manner, an AP to which an information processing apparatus has been connected and perform network setting of a device on the basis of the selected AP.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus acquires the history of an AP to which the information processing apparatus has been connected, and displays a screen for selecting an AP to be set to a device on the basis of the history. The information processing apparatus determines, of displayed access points, the access point selected by a user as an access point to be used by a peripheral device, and transmits the determined access point to the device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus that performs network setting of a device.

  In recent years, various devices have been connected to networks.

  In addition, in order to easily change a setting for connecting a device such as a printing apparatus to a network, a method for performing network setting of a device via an operation unit of an information processing apparatus different from the device is known ( For example, Patent Document 1). The information processing apparatus of Patent Document 1 causes a device to search for access points (AP: Access Point) around the device. In addition, a list of APs found by the search is received from the device, and is displayed as a connection destination candidate on the operation unit. The user selects an AP to which the device should connect from among connection destination candidates displayed on the operation unit of the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus transmits information on the selected AP to the device. The device can set the connection destination network based on the information regarding the AP received from the information processing apparatus.

JP 2010-98765 A

  By the way, when a device is allowed to participate in a network, there are many cases where the device is desired to participate in a network provided by an AP that is normally used by a user of the information processing apparatus. Therefore, when a user wants to set an AP as a connection destination of a device, there is a high possibility that an information processing apparatus owned by the user has also connected to the AP.

  However, conventionally, when joining a device to a network, it has not been considered to select an AP to which an information processing apparatus has been connected.

  In view of this, when setting an AP to which a device is connected from the information processing apparatus, the present invention displays the AP to which the information processing apparatus has been connected in a selectable manner, and a network of devices based on the selected AP. The purpose is to provide a mechanism for setting.

  In order to achieve the above object, an information processing apparatus of the present invention is an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a device having a wireless interface, wherein the wireless interface connects to an access point and performs wireless communication with an external device, Display means for displaying an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected, and determination of determining an access point selected by a user from among the access points displayed by the display means as an access point to be used by the device And a notification means for notifying the device of the access point determined by the determination means.

  According to the present invention, when an AP that is a connection destination of a device is set from the information processing apparatus, an AP to which the information processing apparatus has been connected is displayed so as to be selectable, and the network of the device is based on the selected AP. It becomes possible to set.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of a communication system. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of an information processing apparatus 101. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a software configuration of the information processing apparatus 101. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a printing apparatus 102. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed on an operation unit of the printing apparatus. FIG. It is a figure explaining the screen which an application 300 provides to a user. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control of the information processing apparatus 101. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control of the information processing apparatus 101. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control of the information processing apparatus 101. 3 is a flowchart illustrating control of the information processing apparatus 101. It is a modification of the screen which the application 300 provides to a user.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to the solution means of the invention.

<First Embodiment>
First, the configuration of a communication system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The communication system according to the present embodiment includes an information processing apparatus 101, a printing apparatus 102, and an AP 103.

  The information processing apparatus 101 can execute wireless communication based on the IEEE 802.11 standard (hereinafter referred to as the 802.11 standard). When the user inputs an ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier) or a security key for connecting to the AP 103 to the information processing apparatus 101, the information processing apparatus 101 can connect to the network provided by the AP 103.

  The printing apparatus 102 is a device that can receive print data via a network and perform printing. When the ESSID and the security key for connecting to the AP 103 are set as the wireless network setting of the printing apparatus 102, the information processing apparatus 101 and the printing apparatus 102 can perform wireless communication via the AP 103.

  Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a mode in which the information processing apparatus 101 and the printing apparatus 102 perform wireless communication via the AP 103 is referred to as infrastructure wireless communication.

  The information processing apparatus 101 communicates with the printing apparatus 102 via the AP 103. The information processing apparatus 101 can transmit a print job to the printing apparatus 102 via the AP 103. The printing apparatus 102 that has received the print job executes printing based on the print job.

  Further, the printing apparatus 102 can operate in the access point mode. When operating in the access point mode, the printing apparatus 102 operates as a software access point. The printing apparatus 102 generates an ESSID and a security key, and behaves as if it is an AP.

  When the printing apparatus 102 operates in the access point mode, the information processing apparatus 101 can connect to a software AP provided by the printing apparatus 102.

  The user inputs the ESSID and security key generated by the printing apparatus 102 to the information processing apparatus 101, so that the information processing apparatus 101 connects to the software AP provided by the printing apparatus 102. An information processing apparatus connected to an AP provided by the printing apparatus can directly perform wireless communication with the printing apparatus 102 without using a relay apparatus such as the AP 103. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, a mode in which the information processing apparatus performs direct wireless communication with the printing apparatus 102 without using a relay apparatus such as the AP 103 is referred to as direct wireless communication.

  The information processing apparatus 101 can communicate with the printing apparatus 102 using infrastructure wireless communication or direct wireless communication.

  In the present embodiment, a smartphone and a tablet PC are exemplified as an example of the information processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. A smartphone or tablet PC is an example of an information processing apparatus capable of performing wireless communication, and may be another information processing apparatus such as a PC (Personal Computer).

  In the present exemplary embodiment, the printing apparatus 102 is illustrated as an example of a device that performs network setting using the information processing apparatus, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to network settings for various devices that can perform wireless communication based on the 802.11 standard. For example, it can be applied to network settings of electrical appliances such as televisions, refrigerators, cameras, and speakers. Further, the present invention can be applied to network settings such as a wristband for health management and a lighting apparatus that can be controlled via the network.

<Information processing device>
Next, the hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to FIG.

  A CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111 included in the control unit 110 reads a control program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) 112 or a storage 114 and controls the information processing apparatus 101.

  The control unit 110 includes a CPU 111, a ROM 112, a RAM 113, a storage 114, a wireless LAN I / F (interface) 117, an operation unit I / F 115, and a camera I / F 118 connected to a bus.

  The CPU 111 is a central processing unit (processor) that controls the operation of the entire control unit 110. A RAM (Random Access Memory) 113 is a volatile memory, and is used as a temporary storage area for developing various control programs stored in the work area, the ROM 112 and the storage 114.

  The ROM 112 is a non-volatile memory, and stores a boot program for the information processing apparatus. The storage 114 is a non-volatile flash memory having a larger capacity than the RAM 113. The storage 114 stores a control program for the information processing apparatus 101. In addition, an OS (Operating System) 310 and an application 300 described later are also stored in the storage 114.

  The CPU 111 executes a boot program stored in the ROM 112 when the information processing apparatus is activated. This boot program is for reading a program of the OS 310 stored in the storage 114 and developing it on the RAM 113. When the CPU 111 executes the boot program, it continuously executes the OS 310 program developed on the RAM 113 to control the information processing apparatus. The CPU 111 also stores data used for operations by the control program on the RAM 113 and reads / writes them.

  In the information processing apparatus 101, one CPU 111 executes each process shown in the flowchart described below, but other modes may be used. For example, a plurality of CPUs and microprocessors (MPUs) can cooperate to execute each process shown in the flowchart described below. Also, a part of the processing to be described later may be executed by using a hardware circuit such as ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

  The operation unit I / F 115 connects the operation unit 116 and the control unit 110. The operation unit 116 includes a touch panel that can detect a user's touch operation and a display panel that displays various screens. The operation unit 116 functions as a display unit that displays information and a reception unit that receives user instructions. Various screens provided by the OS 310 and the application 300 are displayed on the operation unit 116. In addition, the user can input a desired operation instruction to the information processing apparatus 101 by performing a touch operation on the operation unit 116 using an object such as a finger. The operation unit 116 includes a hardware key. The user can also input an operation instruction to the information processing apparatus 101 by pressing a hardware key.

  The camera I / F 118 connects the control unit 110 and the camera 119. The camera 119 captures an image according to a user's imaging instruction. A photograph taken by the camera 119 is stored in a predetermined area of the storage 114.

  The wireless LAN I / F 117 provides a function of a wireless client for performing wireless communication based on the 802.11 standard. The wireless LAN I / F 117 is connected to an external AP and performs wireless communication using Wi-Fi. The external AP may be the printing apparatus 102 that operates in the access point mode or the AP 103. In the present embodiment, the wireless LAN I / F 117 can be connected to an AP that conforms to the IEEE 802.11 standard.

  Next, the software configuration of the information processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of software realized by the CPU 111 reading a control program stored in the ROM 112 or the storage 114.

  The OS 310 is basic software for controlling the overall operation of the information processing apparatus 101. Various applications including an application 300 described later can be installed in the information processing apparatus 101. The OS 310 can exchange information with these applications, and can change the screen displayed on the operation panel 205 in accordance with instructions received from the applications. Further, wireless communication by the wireless LAN I / F 117 is controlled in accordance with an instruction received from the application. When the OS 310 is connected to the AP via the wireless LAN I / F 117, the OS 310 stores information on the AP in the storage 114 as a wireless communication history. The user can check information on the AP on a wireless setting screen (not shown) provided by the OS 310. In addition, the application 300 to be described later can acquire information on the AP by calling a function provided by the OS as an API (Application Program Interface) or a framework for the application.

  Further, the application 300 to be described later can search for a nearby AP by controlling the wireless LAN I / F 117 by calling a function provided by the OS as an API or a framework for an application.

  An application 300 is an application installed in the information processing apparatus 101. Although not shown in FIG. 3, applications for various purposes can be installed in the information processing apparatus 101 in addition to the application 300. The application 300 provides the user of the information processing apparatus 101 with a function for performing network settings for printing apparatuses existing around the information processing apparatus 101. The application 300 also provides a print function that causes a printing apparatus in which network settings have been made to perform printing.

<Printing device>
Next, the printing apparatus 102 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printing apparatus 102. The printing apparatus 102 has a reading function for reading an image and a printing function for printing an image on a sheet.

  A control unit 130 including a CPU 131 controls the overall operation of the printing apparatus 102. The CPU 131 reads a control program stored in the ROM 132 or the storage 134 and performs various controls such as print control and read control. The ROM 132 stores a control program that can be executed by the CPU 111. A RAM 133 is a main storage memory of the CPU 131, and is used as a temporary storage area for developing work area or various control program instructions. The storage 134 stores print data, image data, various programs, and various setting information.

  In the printing apparatus 102 according to the present embodiment, one CPU 131 executes each process shown in a flowchart to be described later using one memory (RAM 133), but other modes may be used. For example, it is possible to execute each process shown in the flowchart described later in cooperation with a plurality of CPUs, RAMs, ROMs, and storages.

  The operation unit I / F 135 connects the operation unit 136 and the control unit 130. The operation unit 136 includes a liquid crystal display unit having a touch panel function, various hard keys, and the like, and functions as a display unit that displays information and a reception unit that receives user instructions.

  The reading unit I / F 137 connects the reading unit 138 and the control unit 130. The reading unit 138 reads a document and generates a read image. The generated read image is transmitted to the information processing apparatus or used for printing.

  The printing unit I / F 139 connects the printing unit 140 and the control unit 130. The printing unit 140 prints an image on a sheet based on print data received from the outside.

  The control unit 130 is connected to a network (not shown) via a wired LAN I / F 141. The wired LAN I / F 141 transmits an image and information to an information processing apparatus on a network (not shown), and receives print data and information from the information processing apparatus on the LAN 100.

  Further, the control unit 130 includes a wireless LAN I / F 142. The wireless LAN I / F 142 provides a function of a wireless client for performing wireless communication by connecting to an external AP, and a function of a software AP in which the information processing apparatus 101 behaves as an AP.

  When an ESSID or a security key for connecting to the AP 103 is set as the wireless network setting of the printing apparatus 102, the printing apparatus 102 can perform wireless communication via the AP 103.

  The software AP is activated when the access point mode is ON. When the access point mode is set to ON by the user, the wireless LAN I / F 142 activates the software AP and operates as an AP to which an external device can be connected. An ESSID and a security key for connecting to the software AP are displayed on the operation unit 136 of the printing apparatus 102 in response to a user operation.

  FIG. 5 illustrates a screen displayed on the operation unit 136 of the printing apparatus 102. The user can display a setting screen 501 related to the wireless LAN from a setting screen (not shown).

  On the setting screen 501, settings for the wireless LAN I / F 142 can be performed. A “manual setting” key 502 is a key used when manually setting the external AP to which the printing apparatus 102 is connected. The user can set the wireless network of the printing apparatus 102 from an input screen (not shown) by selecting a “manual setting” key 502. In this case, the user manually sets the wireless network by inputting the ESSID and the security key of the AP to which the printing apparatus should be connected from an input screen (not shown).

  In addition, the printing apparatus 102 according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a cooperation function for setting a wireless LAN from a mobile terminal in order to more easily set a wireless network. A user who wants to use the linkage function can select the “Set using mobile terminal” key 503 to launch a software AP for use with the linkage function.

  If the CPU 131 of the printing apparatus 102 determines that the “set using mobile terminal” key 503 is selected, the CPU 131 sets the access point mode to ON and activates the software AP. Further, the CPU 131 displays a screen 504 for confirming the ESSID and the security key for connecting to the software AP. The screen 504 displays an ESSID, an authentication method, and a security key as information necessary when connecting to the software AP from another terminal. In addition, a QR code (registered trademark) 505 is displayed. The QR code stores information on the ESSID, the authentication method, and the security key. The user can read the QR code 505 by using the camera of the information processing apparatus 101 and take in information necessary for connection to the software AP into the information processing apparatus 101.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the user operates the operation unit 136 to start up the software AP is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. The software AP of the printing apparatus may always be activated. In the present embodiment, the case where a software AP that requires authentication using a security key is activated is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. The printing apparatus 102 may activate a software AP that does not require authentication.

<Network setting using application 300>
Next, a function provided by the information processing apparatus 101 of the present embodiment for performing network settings for printing apparatuses existing in the vicinity will be described.

  Conventionally, when setting a wireless network, it is known to search for nearby APs and display a list of APs found by the search. The user can select an AP to be used for wireless communication from the list-displayed APs and set the wireless network.

  At this time, the information processing apparatus 101 or the printing apparatus 102 receives the beacon signal transmitted by the surrounding APs, and searches for APs in the vicinity of itself. Hereinafter, a method of searching for an AP by receiving a beacon signal transmitted by a surrounding AP is referred to as a passive scan.

  By the way, the IEEE 802.11 standard defines a stealth function that prevents ESSID from being easily detected in the surrounding area by intentionally not transmitting a beacon signal. The AP for which the stealth function is enabled does not spontaneously transmit a beacon signal. Therefore, even if the information processing apparatus 101 or the printing apparatus 102 performs passive scanning and searches for surrounding APs, it cannot find an AP for which the stealth function is enabled.

  In other words, in the conventional AP search by passive scan, when the user wants to set an AP having a stealth function effective as a connection destination of a device such as a printing apparatus, it cannot be displayed as a connection destination candidate. There is.

  By the way, when a user connects a device such as the printing apparatus 102 to a wireless network, there are many cases where the user wants to join the device to a network provided by an AP that the user normally uses. Therefore, when a user wants to set an AP with an effective stealth function as a connection destination of a device, there is a high possibility that the information processing apparatus 101 owned by the user has also connected to an AP with an effective stealth function. .

  In view of the above problems, the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment performs control to display selectable APs to which the information processing apparatus has been connected when setting the wireless network of the device. Hereinafter, the control executed by the information processing apparatus will be specifically described.

  First, the details of the screen provided to the user by the application 300 and the setting of the network of a printing apparatus existing in the vicinity using the application 300 will be described with reference to FIG.

  Each screen illustrated in FIG. 6 is a screen provided to the user by the application 300 and illustrates an example of a screen displayed on the operation unit 116.

  When the application 300 is activated, the application 300 requests the OS 310 to display a TOP screen (not shown). Then, the OS 310 displays a TOP screen on the operation unit 116. The user can wirelessly connect the information processing apparatus 101 to the software AP provided by the surrounding printing apparatus by performing an operation of selecting the software AP provided by the surrounding printing apparatus from the TOP screen. In the present exemplary embodiment, a case where wireless connection is made to the software AP provided by the printing apparatus via the application 300 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the user can wirelessly connect to the software AP provided by the printing apparatus in advance via a setting screen (not shown) regarding the wireless connection provided by the OS 310. Alternatively, the application 300 may launch a setting screen related to the wireless connection of the OS 310 and perform wireless connection via the screen. In this case, the OS 310 discards the setting screen related to the wireless connection in response to the user performing an operation to close the setting screen related to the wireless connection, and transitions to a screen provided by the application 300.

  A screen 601 in FIG. 6A illustrates a screen that is displayed when the user can establish a wireless connection with the software AP of the printing apparatus via a TOP screen (not illustrated). The screen 601 displays the AP name (Printer_AP) of the currently connected printing device as information 610. The application 300 can perform network setting of the connected printing apparatus via the screen 601. The user uses any of the keys 604 to 606 to set the network of the selected printing apparatus.

  The “Acquire and select AP from device” key 604 is used to acquire a list of connection destination candidates from the connected printing device and display them in a selectable manner in order to perform wireless network setting of the printing device. It is a key to do. A “select AP from mobile connection history” key 605 is a key used to selectably display an AP to which the information processing apparatus 101 has been connected in order to perform wireless network setting of the printing apparatus. . The “select stealth AP” key 606 is an AP to which the information processing apparatus 101 has been connected in order to perform wireless network setting of the printing apparatus, and the stealth function is enabled. It is a key used when is displayed in a selectable manner. A connection destination candidate to be displayed when the user presses the keys 604 to 606 will be described later using a flowchart described later.

  When the application 300 of the information processing apparatus determines that any key has been selected by the user, the application unit 300 displays a screen 602 for selecting a connection destination candidate illustrated in FIG. 6B on the operation unit 116. Request the OS 310. Then, the OS 310 displays a screen 602 on the operation unit 116.

  The user can select an AP to be connected to the printing apparatus via the screen 602, and can transmit information on the AP to the connected printing apparatus. Note that the information processing apparatus 101 transmits information about the AP to the printing apparatus using wireless communication via the software AP provided by the printing apparatus.

  The screen 602 displays “others” as selectable items (options) in addition to the AP as a connection destination candidate. When the user selects the item “others”, the information processing apparatus 101 displays a screen 603 for allowing the user to input information regarding the AP. The user can manually input information regarding the AP to which the printing apparatus should connect via the screen 603.

  Control for setting the AP to which the printing apparatus is connected by the information processing apparatus 101 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 to 9 and FIG. FIGS. 7 to 9 and FIG. 10A are flowcharts for explaining control related to the application 300. Each of the operations (steps) shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 to 9 and FIG. 10A is executed by the CPU 111 reading out a program for realizing each control module stored in the ROM 112 or the storage 114 to the RAM 113 and executing it. It is realized by. Note that the processing shown in the flowchart is realized by the cooperation of the OS 310 as a control program and the application 300 as an application program.

  For explanation of the control, the environment around the information processing apparatus 101 will be described as an example. The printing apparatus 102 has already started the software AP. Further, it is assumed that the settings shown in Table 1 are set as the settings of the software AP provided by the printing apparatus 102.

また、ＡＰ１０３は表２に示す設定で動作しているものとする。以降、ユーザが、ＡＰ１０３を印刷装置１０２の無線ネットワークの接続先として設定したい場合を例として説明する。

Further, it is assumed that the AP 103 operates with the settings shown in Table 2. Hereinafter, a case where the user wants to set the AP 103 as a connection destination of the wireless network of the printing apparatus 102 will be described as an example.

更に、図１では図示していないが、情報処理装置１０１の周囲に、表３に示す設定がなされた複数のＡＰが動作しているものとする。この中には、個人が所有する持ち運び可能なＡＰも含まれる（例えば、Ａｌｉｃｅ−ＡＰ、Ｂｏｂ−ＡＰ、Ｃａｒｏｌ−ＡＰ等のモバイルルータ）。また、他のＡＰも動作している。

Further, although not shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that a plurality of APs having the settings shown in Table 3 are operating around the information processing apparatus 101. This includes portable APs owned by individuals (for example, mobile routers such as Alice-AP, Bob-AP, Carol-AP). Other APs are also operating.

Ｓ７０１では、ＣＰＵ１１１は、設定アプリケーションを起動する指示を受け付けたか否かを判断する。ＣＰＵ１１１は、不図示のホーム画面又は、アプリを起動するためのランチャ画面から設定アプリケーションの起動が指示された場合は、設定アプリケーションを起動する指示を受け付けたと判断し、Ｓ７０２に処理を進める。一方、不図示のホーム画面又は、アプリを起動するためのランチャ画面から設定アプリケーションの起動が指示されていない場合は、設定アプリケーションを起動する指示を受け付けていないと判断し、処理を終了する。

In step S701, the CPU 111 determines whether an instruction to start the setting application has been received. If the activation of the setting application is instructed from the home screen (not shown) or the launcher screen for activating the application, the CPU 111 determines that the instruction to activate the setting application has been accepted, and advances the process to S702. On the other hand, if the start of the setting application is not instructed from the home screen (not shown) or the launcher screen for starting up the application, it is determined that the instruction to start the setting application has not been accepted, and the process is terminated.

  In S702, the CPU 111 activates the application 300 and displays an initial screen of the application.

  In step S <b> 703, the CPU 111 receives a user operation via the screen and connects to the communication infrastructure setting software AP provided by the printing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the case of connecting to the software AP via the screen provided by the application 300 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. Before starting the application 300 in step S701, the wireless infrastructure setting screen provided by the OS 310 may be connected in advance to the communication infrastructure setting software AP provided by the printing apparatus. In this case, the CPU 111 determines whether the connected AP is a communication infrastructure setting software AP by using the name of the AP to which the information processing apparatus is connected. As a result of the determination, “if the connected AP is a communication infrastructure setting software AP, the processing of S703 may be skipped and the processing of S704 and thereafter may be performed.

  In step S <b> 704, the CPU 111 determines whether an instruction to select from the connection history is given. If the “select AP from mobile connection history” key 605 is selected, it is determined that an instruction to select from the connection history has been given, and the process proceeds to S705. On the other hand, if the key 605 has not been selected, it is determined that an instruction to select from the connection history has not been given, and the process proceeds to S706.

  In step S <b> 705, the CPU 111 performs a process of causing the user to select an AP from a list of APs that have been connected by the information processing apparatus 101 and transmitting information about the AP to the printing apparatus. Details of the processing will be described later.

  On the other hand, in S706, the CPU 111 determines whether an instruction to select from the stealth AP has been given. If the “select stealth AP” key 606 is selected, the process proceeds to step S707. If the “select stealth AP” key 606 is not selected, the process proceeds to step S708.

  In step S <b> 707, the CPU 111 performs processing for causing the user to select an AP from the list of APs for which the stealth function is enabled and transmitting information on the AP to the printing apparatus. Details of the processing will be described later.

  On the other hand, in S708, the CPU 111 determines whether an instruction to receive and select a list from the printing apparatus has been given. If the “Acquire and select AP from device” key 604 is selected, it is determined that an instruction to receive and select the list from the printing apparatus has been given, and the process proceeds to S709. On the other hand, if the key 604 is not selected, it is determined that an instruction to receive and select a list from the printing apparatus has not been given, and the process returns to S704.

  In step S <b> 709, the CPU 111 performs processing for causing the user to select an AP from the AP list acquired from the printing apparatus and the list of APs for which the stealth function is enabled and transmitting information about the AP to the printing apparatus. Details of the processing will be described later.

  In S710, the CPU 111 switches the connection to the AP selected in any one of S705, S707, and S709. The application 300 calls a function provided by the OS 310 as an API or a framework, and updates the network setting related to the wireless LAN I / F 117 based on information related to the AP.

  By the processing of S710, the information processing apparatus 101 and the printing apparatus 102 can perform infrastructure wireless communication via the same AP in response to the successful wireless network setting on the printing apparatus side. That is, the process of S710 is a process for enabling the information exchange between the printing apparatus 102 and the information processing apparatus 101.

  Next, the process of S705 will be described with reference to FIG. The process of FIG. 8 is a process executed mainly by the application 300 executed by the CPU 111. In step S <b> 801, the application 300 acquires connection history information to an AP managed by the OS 310 using a function provided by the OS 310 as an API or a framework.

  In the AP connection history information managed by the OS, it is assumed that the AP ESSID, password, authentication method, and stealth function ON / OFF shown in Table 4 are recorded. The connection history information is history information acquired while the information processing apparatus 101 has connected to the AP in the past and has established a connection with the AP.

  Therefore, information about APs that are not currently installed around the information processing apparatus 101 is included. For example, the connection history information includes information on an AP (for example, CAFE-AP) that has been connected at a store such as a home network AP (for example, My Home-AP) or a cafe.

Ｓ８０２では、アプリケーション３００は、過去に接続したＡＰのＥＳＳＩＤを用いて当該ＡＰが周囲にあるか検索を行う。アプリケーション３００は、ＯＳ３１０がＡＰＩ又はフレームワークとして提供する関数を使用して、ＥＳＳＩＤに基づくアクティブスキャンを行う。アクティブスキャンは、クライアント端末が周辺のＡＰに対してＥＳＳＩＤを含むプローブ要求をブロードキャストすることによるＡＰの検索方法である。プローブ要求を受け付けたＡＰは、プローブ要求に含まれるＥＳＳＩＤが自身のＥＳＳＩＤに一致している場合に、プローブ応答を返信する。

In S <b> 802, the application 300 uses the ESSID of the AP connected in the past to search whether the AP is around. The application 300 performs an active scan based on the ESSID using a function provided by the OS 310 as an API or a framework. The active scan is an AP search method in which a client terminal broadcasts a probe request including an ESSID to neighboring APs. The AP that has received the probe request returns a probe response when the ESSID included in the probe request matches its own ESSID.

  If the client terminal can receive the probe response, the client terminal determines that there is an AP in which the ESSID is set.

  By performing the active scan, even if the stealth function is set to ON and the AP cannot be found by the passive scan, it can be confirmed whether the AP is around the client terminal.

  Based on the AP connection history acquired in step S801, the application 300 advances the process to step S803 in response to the completion of the search for all the APs that have been connected in the past.

  In S803, based on the search result in S802, the application 300 extracts APs included in the past connection history and around the information processing apparatus 101 as connection destination candidates. Note that when the application 300 extracts connection destination candidates, the AP to which the information processing apparatus 101 is connected is not extracted as a connection destination candidate. This is an exception process that avoids setting the soft AP that is activated by the printing apparatus 102 itself in the wireless network setting of the printing apparatus 102.

  Only the APs around the information processing apparatus 101 shown in Table 5 can be extracted as connection destination candidates from the AP connection history exemplified in Table 4 by the extraction processing in S803. Here, MyHome-AP, CAFE-AP, and PrinterAP are excluded.

Ｓ８０４では、アプリケーション３００は、Ｓ８０３で抽出した接続先の候補を選択するための画面を操作部１１６に表示する。また、Ｓ８０４で表示する画面には、図６（ｂ）で例示したような「その他」の項目が選択可能に表示されるものとする。

In step S <b> 804, the application 300 displays a screen for selecting the connection destination candidate extracted in step S <b> 803 on the operation unit 116. Further, it is assumed that the item “others” exemplified in FIG. 6B is selectably displayed on the screen displayed in step S804.

  In step S805, the application 300 receives selection of a connection destination via the screen displayed in step S804.

  In step S806, the application 300 determines whether “other” is selected in the selection process in step S805. If “others” is selected, the process proceeds to step S807. If “others” is not selected (that is, if any AP displayed as a candidate is selected), the process proceeds to step S808.

  In step S807, the application 300 displays the input screen illustrated in 603 in FIG. 6 and receives input of AP information (ESSID and password) set in the printing apparatus. When the input by the user is completed, the process proceeds to S810.

  On the other hand, in S808, the application 300 determines whether or not a password is held as the connection history information of the AP selected in S805. If the password is retained, the process proceeds to S810. If the password is not retained, the process proceeds to S809.

  In step S809, the application 300 displays a pop-up screen (not shown) and accepts input of a password used for connection to the selected AP. When the input by the user is completed, the process proceeds to S810.

  In step S <b> 810, the application 300 transmits AP information to the printing apparatus 102. It is assumed that the application 300 transmits information about the AP to the connected printing apparatus 102 using wireless communication. The information regarding the AP transmitted here includes the ESSID and password of the AP to be connected. When the transmission is completed, the process proceeds to S710.

  The following effects can be obtained by the above-described processing of S705 “allow the user to select an AP from the list of APs that have been connected by the terminal and transmit the AP information to the printing apparatus” in S705.

  Based on the AP to which the information processing apparatus 101 has connected in the past, connection destination candidates are displayed as the wireless network settings of the printing apparatus 102. Therefore, the user can select from the list an AP whose stealth function has been turned on, which the information processing apparatus 101 has connected to in the past. Thereby, even when the user wants to set an AP whose stealth function is ON, it is possible to save the user from manually inputting the ESSID and the password. Therefore, user convenience can be improved.

  Further, not only the AP information recorded in the connection history of the information processing terminal is used, but only the AP information that has been confirmed to exist in the vicinity is displayed on the UI. Thereby, the effect which prevents the phenomenon that AP which does not exist in the surroundings will be selected accidentally by the user is acquired.

  In addition, the device has been devised to exclude access points owned by the device from access point candidates to be set for the device. As a result, an effect of suppressing the setting of the software AP provided by the device itself as the wireless network setting of the device by mistake by the user can be obtained.

  Next, the process of S707 will be described with reference to FIG. The process of FIG. 9 is a process executed mainly by the application 300 executed by the CPU 111. Note that a description of the same steps as those in the process of FIG. 8 is omitted. In S901, the application 300 acquires connection history information to the AP as in S801.

  In S902, the application 300 extracts the AP whose stealth function is ON from the connection history information to the AP acquired in S901.

  Therefore, when the AP connection history illustrated in Table 4 is held, the application 300 extracts AP103, Office-AP-3, and Office-AP-4, which are APs whose stealth function is turned on in the process of S902. .

  In S903, the application 300 searches for the extracted AP in the vicinity by using the ESSID of the AP extracted in S902 in cooperation with the OS 310. Since the search method in S903 is the same as the search method described in S802, the description thereof is omitted.

  In S904, based on the search result in S903, the application 300 extracts APs that have been connected in the past and whose stealth function is ON and that are around the information processing apparatus as connection destination candidates. Note that when extracting the connection destination candidates, the application 300 does not extract the AP currently connected to the information processing apparatus as a connection destination candidate.

  By the extraction process in S904, only APs having a stealth function effective around the information processing apparatus shown in Table 6 can be extracted as connection destination candidates.

Ｓ９０５乃至Ｓ９１１の処理は、図８のＳ８０４乃至Ｓ８１０の処理と同様であるため説明を省略する。

The processing from S905 to S911 is the same as the processing from S804 to S810 in FIG.

  The following effects can be obtained by the above-described process of S707 “allowing the user to select an AP from the list of APs for which the stealth function is enabled and transmitting the AP information to the printing apparatus”.

  When the user wants to use an AP such as the AP 103 in which the stealth function is effective as the wireless network setting of the printing apparatus, only the AP in which the stealth function is effective can be displayed. Since the connection destination candidates are narrowed down to the stealth AP and displayed, when the user wants to set the stealth AP, it is easy to select the AP and the convenience is improved.

  Finally, the process of S709 will be described with reference to FIG. The process of FIG. 10A is a process executed mainly by the application 300 executed by the CPU 111. In the processing of FIG. 10, the application 300 performs wireless communication with the printing apparatus 102 and requests the printing apparatus 102 for an AP list. The processing of the printing apparatus 102 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Each operation (step) shown in the flowchart of FIG. 10B is realized by the CPU 131 of the printing apparatus 102 reading out the control program stored in the ROM 132 or the storage 134 to the RAM 133 and executing it.

  In step S <b> 1001, the application 300 transmits a packet requesting a list of APs to the printing apparatus 102.

  Next, the control on the printing apparatus 102 side that has received the packet requesting the AP list will be described with reference to FIG.

  In S1031, the CPU 131 searches for nearby APs by passive scanning in cooperation with the wireless LAN I / F 142. The CPU 131 receives a beacon signal transmitted from surrounding APs and searches for APs around the printing apparatus 102.

  In S1032, the CPU 131 confirms the information of the access point discovered by the passive scan, and extracts the access point to which the CPU 131 can connect. For example, if the printing apparatus 102 does not support WPA (Wi-Fi (registered trademark) Protected Access) 2 enterprise mode, access points other than APs set in WPA 2 enterprise mode are extracted. In addition, since an AP whose authentication method is WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) or an AP for which authentication is not set has low security strength, an access point excluding the AP is extracted.

  In step S1033, the CPU 131 generates a list of APs to which the printing apparatus can be connected based on the extraction result in step S1032. The list of APs shown in Table 7 can be generated by the generation process of S1033. Note that since the printing apparatus 102 performs a search by passive scanning, only APs whose stealth function is not effective (that is, APs whose stealth function is OFF) are extracted.

Ｓ１０３４では、ＣＰＵ１３１は、Ｓ１３３３で生成したリストを情報処理装置１０１に送信する。ＣＰＵ１３１は、接続中の情報処理装置１０１に対して無線通信を使用してＡＰのリストを送信するものとする。ＡＰのリストは、ＣＳＶ（Ｃｏｍｍａ−Ｓｅｐａｒａｔｅｄ Ｖａｌｕｅｓ）などのカンマ区切りのテキストデータ形式として送信されてもよいし、ＸＭＬ（Ｅｘｔｅｎｓｉｂｌｅ Ｍａｒｋｕｐ Ｌａｎｇｕａｇｅ）等のデータ形式で送信されてもよい。

In S1034, the CPU 131 transmits the list generated in S1333 to the information processing apparatus 101. It is assumed that the CPU 131 transmits a list of APs to the information processing apparatus 101 being connected using wireless communication. The AP list may be transmitted as a comma-separated text data format such as CSV (Comma-Separated Values), or may be transmitted in a data format such as XML (Extensible Markup Language).

  Upon receiving a packet requesting a list of APs through a series of processes, the printing apparatus 102 searches for APs around the printing apparatus 102 through a series of processes, and extracts a list of APs to which the printing apparatus 102 can be connected. Will be sent to.

  Returning to the description of FIG. 10A, in step S <b> 1002, the application 300 receives a list of APs from the printing apparatus 102.

  In S1003, the application 300 acquires connection history information to the AP managed by the OS 310 using a function provided by the OS 310 as an API or a framework. In addition, the application 300 extracts a list of APs in which the stealth function is effective from the acquired history.

  In S1004, the application 300 searches for the extracted AP in the vicinity using the ESSID of the AP extracted in S1003 in cooperation with the OS 310. Since the search method in S1004 is the same as the search method described in S802, the description thereof is omitted.

  In step S1005, based on the list received in step S1002 and the search result searched in step S1004, the application 300 extracts APs received from the printer and APs having a valid stealth function found as search destination candidates. Note that when extracting the connection destination candidates, the application 300 does not extract the AP currently connected to the information processing apparatus as a connection destination candidate.

  In addition to the AP to which the printing apparatus can be connected by the extraction process in S1005, an AP having a stealth function effective around the information processing apparatus can be extracted as a connection destination candidate. Therefore, the connection destination candidates shown in Table 8 can be extracted based on the list of APs to which the information processing apparatus exemplified in Table 4 has been connected and the APs to which the printing apparatus exemplified in Table 7 can be connected. it can.

以降、Ｓ１００６乃至Ｓ１０１２の処理は、図８のＳ８０４乃至Ｓ８１０の処理と同様の処理であるため、詳細は省略する。

Hereinafter, the processing from S1006 to S1012 is the same as the processing from S804 to S810 in FIG.

  As described above, the processing in S709 “allows the user to select an AP from the AP list acquired from the printing apparatus and the list of APs for which the stealth function is enabled and transmits the AP information to the printing apparatus” is performed as follows. The effect is obtained. It is possible to present to the user an AP that can be connected to the printing apparatus and an AP that is effective in the stealth function, while suppressing information about APs that cannot be connected to the printing apparatus from being presented to the user as connection destination candidates.

  Next, the operation of the printing apparatus 102 that has received the AP information transmitted in S705, S707, and S709 will be described. When receiving the AP information from the information processing apparatus, the CPU 131 of the printing apparatus 102 connects to the AP based on the received AP information. If the connection to the AP is established, information for connecting to the AP is stored as the wireless network setting. If the connection to the AP could not be established, an error screen is displayed on the operation unit 136 to notify the user that the connection could not be made.

<Modification>
In the embodiment described above, the case where the information processing apparatus communicates with the printing apparatus using wireless communication via the software AP provided by the printing apparatus is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a case where an information processing apparatus and a printing apparatus communicate using a wired cable such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  In addition, the information processing apparatus and the printing apparatus can communicate with each other using short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  Furthermore, when extracting the connection destination candidates, the application 300 may perform rearrangement so that APs having an effective stealth function are displayed at the top of the list. By this processing, APs with an effective stealth function are displayed with priority. Therefore, the user can more easily select an AP for which the stealth function is set to be effective.

  Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, as illustrated on the screen 601 in FIG. 6, the case where the user selects a setting method and then starts searching for an AP is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, the user may be allowed to select an AP via a user interface as shown in FIG. FIGS. 11A and 11B are modifications of the screen provided by the application 300 to the user, and show an example of the screen displayed on the operation unit 116.

  The user can switch between tabs 1102 to 1104 by performing a flick operation or a touch operation. The flick operation is an operation of quickly tracing the touch panel of the operation unit 116 with a fingertip. For example, the user can change to the screen state of FIG. 11B by touching the vicinity of the tab 1103 in the state of FIG. 11A and tracing to the left side while touching.

  A tab 1102 is a tab used to display an AP corresponding to the key 604 in FIG. A tab 1103 is a tab used when displaying an AP corresponding to the key 605 in FIG. 6. A tab 1104 is used when displaying an AP corresponding to the key 606 in FIG.

  In this case, the user can easily change the AP display method by performing an operation of switching tabs. Therefore, it is possible to provide a wireless interface setting method that is intuitive and easy for the user to understand.

  Further, in S705 of the embodiment, the case where only the AP based on the connection history is displayed has been described, but the following modifications may be made. In step S <b> 705, the application 300 may display connection destination candidates including the AP based on the connection history and the AP found by the passive scan. In this case, APs that the user has not connected to in the past and that are around the information processing apparatus 101 can also be selected.

  In the series of processing shown in S707 of the embodiment, the case where the printing apparatus 102 receives the result of passive scanning has been described. However, the following modifications may be made. In step S1001, the application 300 acquires a connection history to the AP using a function provided by the OS 310 as an API or an interface. Also, an ESSID in which stealth is effective is extracted from the acquired connection history. The application 300 transmits the extracted ESSID together with the request for the AP list.

  On the other hand, the printing apparatus 102 that has received the request for the AP list performs an active scan on the ESSID received together with the request in addition to the passive scan of S1031. The CPU 131 transmits a list of APs that can be connected to the information processing apparatus 101 by performing the processing after S1032 based on the AP that can be searched by the active scan and the AP that can be searched by the passive scan.

  The information processing apparatus 101 that has received the list of connectable APs from the printing apparatus 102 performs the processing from S1006 onward based on the received AP list.

  In this case, it is possible to determine whether or not the AP for which the stealth function is valid included in the connection history is an AP to which the printing apparatus 102 can be connected on the printing apparatus 102 side. Accordingly, connection destination candidates can be displayed after narrowing down to information on APs to which the printing apparatus 102 can be reliably connected.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read the program. It can also be realized by processing to be executed. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC or FPGA) that realizes one or more functions.

101 Information processing apparatus 102 Printing apparatus 111 CPU
117 Wireless LAN I / F
300 Application 310 OS

Claims (19)

An information processing apparatus capable of communicating with a device having a wireless interface,
A wireless interface for connecting to an access point and performing wireless communication with an external device;
Display means for displaying an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected;
A determination unit that determines an access point selected by a user among access points displayed by the display unit as an access point to be used by the device;
An information processing apparatus comprising: notification means for notifying the device of an access point determined by the determination means.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit preferentially displays an access point having an effective stealth function. It further comprises a search means for searching for surrounding access points,
2. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the display unit further displays an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected, and the access point found by the search by the search unit is given priority. 2. The information processing apparatus according to 2. Further comprising an acquisition means for acquiring information about an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected;
The search means transmits an ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier) included in the information about the access point acquired by the acquisition means as a probe request, and searches whether there is an access point corresponding to the ESSID. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays an option for allowing a user to input information regarding an access point used by the device together with the access point.   5. The display unit according to claim 1, wherein the display unit displays an access point to which the device received from the device can be connected and an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected. The information processing apparatus described in 1.   7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the notification unit performs notification to the device in a state where the device is wirelessly connected to an access point for performing direct wireless communication provided by the device. Information processing device.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the display unit does not display an access point provided by the device. Control means for changing the access point connected by the wireless interface to the access point determined by the determining means after notifying by the notifying means;
The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A control method of an information processing apparatus that includes a wireless interface that performs wireless communication with an external device by connecting to an access point, and that can communicate with a device that includes the wireless interface,
A display step of displaying an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected;
Of the access points displayed in the display step, a determination step of determining an access point selected by a user as an access point to be used by the device;
And a notification step of notifying the device of the access point determined in the determination step.   The method of controlling an information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display step preferentially displays an access point having an effective stealth function. It further includes a search process for searching for surrounding access points,
12. The display step according to claim 11, further comprising: preferentially displaying an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected and an access point found by the search in the search step. A control method of the information processing apparatus described. An acquisition step of acquiring information about an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected;
The search step transmits an ESSID (Extended Service Set Identifier) included in the information about the access point acquired by the acquisition step as a probe request, and searches whether there is an access point corresponding to the ESSID around. The control method of the information processing apparatus according to claim 12.   14. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the display step displays an option for allowing a user to input information on an access point used by the device together with the access point. Control method.   15. The display step according to claim 10, wherein an access point to which the device received from the device is connectable and an access point to which the information processing apparatus has been connected are displayed. A method for controlling the information processing apparatus according to claim 1.   The notification step according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the notification is performed to the device while wirelessly connected to an access point for performing direct wireless communication provided by the device. A method for controlling an information processing apparatus.   The information processing apparatus control method according to claim 10, wherein the display step does not display an access point provided by the device.   18. The method according to claim 10, further comprising a changing step of changing an access point connected by the wireless interface to the access point determined in the determining step after performing the notification in the notifying step. The information processing apparatus according to item.   A program for causing a computer to execute the control method of the information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 18.

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